When to call a plumber (and when you don't need to)

Leave, or call right now

• You smell gas near the water heater or anywhere in the house.The Pennsylvania PUC and Atmos Energy both say to leave immediately. Do not turn lights on or off or make calls from inside.
  911 and your gas utility, from a safe distance outside.
• The flame in a gas water heater burns yellow or orange.Bob Vila warns a yellow flame could mean the appliance is releasing carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless and toxic gas.
  A water heater technician or your gas company. Turn the gas control off per the label on the heater.
• Water comes out of the water heater's temperature and pressure relief valve pipe.Rheem says the valve opens when tank pressure exceeds 150 psi or the water reaches 210F, and says to contact a licensed plumber immediately. Never plug or cap it; without it the tank may rupture or explode.
  A licensed plumber, right away.
• Water keeps pooling under the water heater tank and the puddle grows.A. O. Smith says base leaks are often the first sign of a serious problem and a confirmed tank leak means replacing the tank. Even small leaks can cause significant water damage.
  A licensed plumber or authorized service provider. Turn off the power or gas and the water supply to the heater first.
• An active leak you cannot stop because a shutoff is seized or you cannot find one.Berkeys advises calling instead of prepping when a shutoff is seized, there is an active leak, or there are no accessible shutoffs. PlumbingQuotes warns against forcing stuck valves.
  A licensed plumber now. Close the main shutoff if you can reach and turn it.

Call a plumber soon

• A shower that still drips after you replaced the cartridge, seats or stem, especially on an older valve.Delta says if both replacements fail on a very old valve, replace the entire tub and shower valve, and that bodies 10 to 15 or more years old may have developed a leak. EPA points shower valve leaks of this kind to an experienced handyperson or licensed plumber.
  A licensed plumber.
• Your electric water heater's breaker trips again after a reset, or a gas pilot will not stay lit.Bob Vila says a breaker that will not hold is a job for a professional, and a pilot that will not stay lit may mean a faulty thermocouple.
  A licensed plumber, electrician or water heater technician.
• Low water pressure in the whole house that keeps coming back, or that dropped suddenly.Mr. Rooter names clogged or corroded pipes, leaks and pressure regulator problems, and says persistent whole-house low pressure is a plumber call. Most homes run roughly 40 to 80 psi; over 80 is too high.
  A licensed plumber.
• A weak flush that keeps coming back, or several drains slow at once.HomeTips says persistent weak flushing may indicate a developing drain line blockage or a sewer line restriction, especially when more than one fixture is affected.
  A licensed plumber.
• A two-piece toilet that keeps running even with a new flapper.Family Handyman says to call a plumber when you just can't find a flapper that seals, and notes the overflow tube may be incorrectly sized.
  A licensed plumber.
• Water sprays from the showerhead when only the tub spout should run.Moen calls this stacking and traces it to a restriction or the installation: the pipe material, length and fittings between the valve and the spout. Fixing that means work behind the wall.
  A licensed plumber.
• A shower that jumps scalding or ice cold when a toilet flushes, on a valve with no pressure balancing.Symmons explains that pressure-balancing valves react to pressure changes to prevent scalding; a plain mixing valve does not. Replacing the valve is in-wall work, and Delta recommends a licensed plumber for tub and shower repairs if you lack plumbing experience.
  A licensed plumber.

Safe to try first

• Replace a worn faucet or shower cartridge, stem, or seats and springs after shutting off the water. Manufacturers including Moen, Delta and Pfister publish these steps.
• Clean a faucet aerator or pull-out hose screen, with a white vinegar soak for stubborn deposits, as Delta and Moen suggest.
• Run EPA's dye test on a running toilet: color in the bowl after 10 minutes means a leak. Replace the flapper and set the chain to 1 to 2 links of slack, as Korky recommends.
• Set the toilet tank water level about 1/2 inch below the top of the overflow tube, per Korky.
• Adjust a shower's temperature limit stop by following your valve's own guide, and check the hottest water with a thermometer. CPSC recommends 120F.
• Make sure shower stops and both main shutoffs are fully open when pressure or hot water drops after a repair, as Moen and Mr. Rooter advise.
• Reset a tripped electric water heater breaker once, opening only the hinged panel door: off, wait 20 seconds, back on, as Bob Vila describes. If it trips again, call.
• Lubricate a stiff Moen 1225 cartridge with silicone grease only. Moen warns never to use a petroleum-based lubricant.

Find and close the shutoffs before anyone arrives

• Find your main shutoff before you need it. Home Depot says it is usually where the water pipe enters the house, on the same side as the water meter.
• A gate valve (round wheel) closes when you turn it clockwise, to the right. A ball valve (lever) closes with a quarter turn: open when the handle lines up with the pipe, closed when it is perpendicular.
• Fixture stops under sinks and behind toilets work the same way. Close the stop for the fixture you are working on, then open the faucet to relieve pressure.
• Turn off the power to the water heater if you turn off the water to the house, as Home Depot advises.
• Test the main shutoff, the kitchen sink stop and the toilet stop ahead of time. Berkeys notes a seized valve changes how long a repair takes.
• Do not force a stuck valve. If it will not turn, call a plumber.

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